Crash test norms for Indian car manufacturers coming soon

With more people dying in road accidents in India than anywhere else in the world, the Government of India has drawn up new set of safety norms for new cars which will come into effect in the coming months. A new program called Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Program has got underway and the move will go a long way to make cars safer though also more expensive.

New cars in India will be put through frontal crash and side impact tests. These new and mandatory tests planned, have come into motion following Global NCAP test results of small cars in India, all of them which scored a zero. With these new tests in place, India can also expect same levels of safety as experienced by customers across the globe who enjoy New Car Assessment Program in Europe and in the US.

Safety star rating on cars in India are slated to be ready by mid -2014. Cars sold in India will need to comply with voluntary star ratings based on crash safety performance tests and side and rear impact tests while conformation to stringent norms such as Pedestrian Protection, Whiplash Injury and Child Restrain System will also be introduced in due course.

Of course, compliance to these stringent norms will have a direct bearing on costs of cars. Experts cite the need for auto companies to modify body design, enhance strength of both chassis and body cage and introduce various other safety facilities to cater to these new norms all of which will increase price of price in India.